Tragic dramas written in Greece during the fifth century B.C. engender

Question

Tragic dramas written in Greece during the fifth
century B.C. engender considerable scholarly debate
over the relative influence of individual autonomy and
the power of the gods on the drama’s action. One early
 (5)  scholar, B. Snell, argues that Aeschylus, for example,
develops in his tragedies a concept of the autonomy of
the individual. In these dramas, the protagonists
invariably confront a situation that paralyzes them, so
that their prior notions about how to behave or think
 (10)  are dissolved. Faced with a decision on which their fate
depends, they must reexamine their deepest motives,
and then act with determination. They are given only
two alternatives, each with grave consequences, and
they make their decision only after a tortured internal
 (15)  debate. According to Snell, this decision is “free” and
“personal” and such personal autonomy constitutes the
central theme in Aeschylean drama, as if the plays
were devised to isolate an abstract model of human
action. Drawing psychological conclusions from this
 (20)  interpretation, another scholar, Z. Barbu, suggests that
“  drama is proof of the emergence within
ancient Greek civilization of the individual as a free
agent.”

To A. Rivier, Snell’s emphasis on the decision
 (25)  made by the protagonist, with its implicit notions of
autonomy and responsibility, misrepresents the role of
the superhuman forces at work, forces that give the
dramas their truly tragic dimension. These forces are
not only external to the protagonist; they are also
 (30)  experienced by the protagonist as an internal
compulsion, subjecting him or her to constraint even in
what are claimed to be his or her “choices.” Hence all
that the deliberation does is to make the protagonist
aware of the impasse, rather than motivating one
 (35)  choice over another. It is finally a necessity imposed by
the deities that generates the decision, so that at a
particular moment in the drama necessity dictates a
path. Thus, the protagonist does not so much “choose”
between two possibilities as “recognize” that there is
 (40)  only one real option.

A. Lesky, in his discussion of Aeschylus’ play
Agamemnon, disputes both views. Agamemnon, ruler
of Argos, must decide whether to brutally sacrifice his
own daughter. A message from the deity Artemis has
 (45)  told him that only the sacrifice will bring a wind to
blow his ships to an important battle. Agamemnon is
indeed constrained by a divine necessity. But he also
deeply desires a victorious battle: “If this sacrifice will
loose the winds, it is permitted to desire it fervently,”
 (50)  he says. The violence of his passion suggests that
Agamemnon chooses a path—chosen by the gods for
their own reasons—on the basis of desires that must be
condemned by us, because they are his own. In Lesky’s
view, tragic action is bound by the constant tension
 (55)  between a self and superhuman forces.    1 
 1. Based on the information presented in the passage, which one of the following statements best represents Lesky’s view of Agamemnon?

(A) Agamemnon’s motivations are identical to those of the gods.
(B) The nature of Agamemnon’s character solely determines the course of the tragedy.
(C) Agamemnon’s decision-making is influenced by his military ambitions.
(D) Agamemnon is concerned only with pleasing the deity Artemis.
(E) Agamemnon is especially tragic because of his political position.

2 
 2. Which one of the following paraphrases most accurately restates the quotation from Agamemnon found in lines 48–49 of the passage?

(A) If the goddess has ordained that the only way I can evade battle is by performing this sacrifice, then it is perfectly appropriate for me to deeply desire this sacrifice.
(B) If the goddess has ordained that the only way I can get a wind to move my ships to battle is by performing this sacrifice, then it is perfectly appropriate for me to deeply desire victory in battle.
(C) If the goddess has ordained that the only way I can get a wind to move my ships to battle is by performing this sacrifice, then it is perfectly appropriate for me to deeply desire this sacrifice.
(D) As I alone have determined that only this sacrifice will give me victory in battle, I will perform it, without reservations.
(E) As I have determined that only deeply desiring victory in battle will guarantee the success of the sacrifice, I will perform it as ordained by the goddess.

3 
 3. Which one of the following statements best expresses Rivier’s view, as presented in the passage, of what makes a drama tragic?

(A) The tragic protagonist is deluded by the gods into thinking he or she is free.
(B) The tragic protagonist struggles for a heroism that belongs to the gods.
(C) The tragic protagonist wrongly seeks to take responsibility for his or her actions.
(D) The tragic protagonist cannot make a decision that is free of divine compulsion.
(E) The tragic protagonist is punished for evading his or her responsibilities.

4 
 4. It can be inferred from the passage that the central difference between the interpretations of Lesky and Rivier is over which one of the following points?

(A) whether or not the tragic protagonist is aware of the consequences of his or her actions
(B) whether or not the tragic protagonist acknowledges the role of the deities in his or her life
(C) whether or not the tragic protagonist’s own desires have relevance to the outcome of the drama
(D) whether or not the actions of the deities are relevant to the moral evaluation of the character’s action
(E) whether or not the desires of the tragic protagonist are more ethical than those of the deities

5 
 5. Which one of the following summaries of the plot of a Greek tragedy best illustrates the view attributed to Rivier in the passage?

(A) Although she knows that she will be punished for violating the law of her city, a tragic figure bravely decides to bury her dead brother over the objections of local authorities.
(B) Because of her love for her dead brother, a tragic figure, although aware that she will be punished for violating the law of her city, accedes to the gods’ request that she bury his body.
(C) After much careful thought, a tragic figure decides to disobey the dictates of the gods and murder her unfaithful husband.
(D) A tragic figure, defying a curse placed on his family by the gods, leads his city into a battle that he realizes will prove futile.
(E) After much careful thought, a tragic figure realizes that he has no alternative but to follow the course chosen by the gods and murder his father.

6 
 6. The quotation in lines 21–23 suggests that Barbu assumes which one of the following about Aeschylean drama?

(A) Aeschylean drama helped to initiate a new understanding of the person in ancient Greek society.
(B) Aeschylean drama introduced new ways of understanding the role of the individual in ancient Greek society.
(C) Aeschylean drama is the original source of the understanding of human motivation most familiar to the modern Western world.
(D) Aeschylean drama accurately reflects the way personal autonomy was perceived in ancient Greek society.
(E) Aeschylean drama embodies the notion of freedom most familiar to the modern Western world.

7 
 7. All of the following statements describe Snell’s view of Aeschylus’ tragic protagonists, as it is presented in the passage, EXCEPT:

(A) They are required to choose a course of action with grave consequences.
(B) Their final choices restore harmony with supernatural forces.
(C) They cannot rely on their customary notions of appropriate behavior.
(D) They are compelled to confront their true motives.
(E) They are aware of the available choices.

8 
 8. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) argue against one particular interpretation of Greek tragedy
(B) establish that there are a variety of themes in Greek tragedy
(C) present aspects of an ongoing scholarly debate about Greek tragedy
(D) point out the relative merits of different scholarly interpretations of Greek tragedy
(E) suggest the relevance of Greek tragedy to the philosophical debate over human motivation

Source:   LSAT Official PrepTest 30   
 Difficulty Level:   650

Saasingh · Answer

7/8 correct. Total time : 17.33

Please can you tell each question's difficulty level?

Had tough time on Q1 , Q3, and Q6.
 
Also, explanation for Q6, please?

I was down to A vs D, but ended up choosing A.

My reasoning for choosing A :
 
“  drama is proof of the emergence within ancient Greek civilization of the individual as a free agent.”
 
A) Aeschylean drama helped to initiate a new understanding of the person in ancient Greek society.
Is this answer choice wrong because it is a restatement of the quotation ? Reflecting back, I do see this as an inference and not assumption. But, i am not sure.

D) Aeschylean drama accurately reflects the way personal autonomy was perceived in ancient Greek society.
This does seem to be an assumption. But the word "accurately" threw me off. Is it necessary to be an accurate reflection of personal autonomy?

I somehow thought A seemed a safer choice compared to D.

Help appreciated.

Thanks

HASTOWINGMAT · Answer

Sajjad1994

Can you please provide explanation for Q1 and Q8. 
Q1 is quite difficult. In Q8, I was stuck between option C and E and selected E. Can you please provide rationale to eliminate this option.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

6. The quotation in lines 21–23 suggests that Barbu assumes which one of the following about Aeschylean drama?

Difficulty Level:   Medium

Explanation

Barbu, Snell’s cheering section, is trotted out at  lines 19-23  to ascribe the Snell idea of human autonomy in decisions to Greek civilization generally. He says that the plays of Aeschylus are  “proof of” —in other words, evidence for—how the idea of the autonomous human had begun to take hold in Greece. Well, that can only be true (and you might well have pre-phrased this) if Aeschylus’s plays had some relevance to, or reflected, the texture of Greek society. It’s a connection Barbu doesn’t explicitly mention in his brief little quote, but it’s a connection he must assume is there, and that’s why

(D)  is correct. Use the negation test: If, contrary to  (D) , the plays didn’t at all reflect the broader ideas underlying Greek life and society, if they were somehow anomalous or renegade, then the plays wouldn’t be  “proof of”  any generalization about Greek civilization whatsoever. If  (D)  is false, Barbu’s little argument falls apart. Therefore,  (D)  as written must be his assumption.

(A), (B), (C)  Aeschylean innovation is not hinted at by the brief Barbu reference, yet all three of these choices use words like  “new,” “introduced,” “original source”  that are simply not justified. Barbu uses the Aeschylean drama as “proof” of the emergence of the autonomous human in Greek civilization; in no sense does he necessarily mean that the former led to the latter. All three choices differ widely in terms of that which they ascribe to Aeschylus as an innovator, but they’re all wrong for exactly the same reason.

(E)  Since Barbu’s scope is that of Greek civilization only, we simply cannot ascribe to him any assumption about how the entire  “Western world”  works.

Answer: D

Explanation Credit: Kaplan LSAT

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

1. Based on the information presented in the passage, which one of the following statements best represents Lesky’s view of Agamemnon?

Difficulty Level:   Hard

Explanation

We should be primed for this one, having just ended our Roadmap with a consideration of Lesky’s views in  Paragraph 3  and recognized that Lesky is interested in the  “constant tension”  between gods and men. But that precise thought doesn’t appear among the choices upon a quick scan, so we will have to examine the choices in turn.

(A)  sounds tempting at first glance, because it mentions gods and men in the same breath. But in fact what unites gods and men, according to Lesky, is their desires as to man’s behavior. The gods’ motives for wanting men to behave in a certain way, however, go unmentioned. In terms of Agamemnon, for instance, we are told his sacrifice is motivated by a desire for success in battle (remember this when we get to  choice (C) , okay?). Artemis wants Iphigenia sacrificed as well; but why?—we are never told.

(B)  The notion that a human protagonist  “solely determines”  his fate is of course a Snell idea, not that of Lesky.

(C)  isn’t a complete statement of Lesky’s view of Agamemnon (it leaves out the role of the gods), but it must be said that  (C)  is true as far as it goes: His decision-making process is influenced by his desire for military success.  (C)  is correct, though we should check out the ones that remain:

(D)  directly contradicts what we’ve just affirmed regarding  (C) . At least part of Agamemnon’s motives are personal rather than relevant to Artemis.

(E)  If anything defines tragedy for Lesky, on the evidence of the passage, it’s that  “constant tension”  between gods and man mentioned in the last sentence, and that contradicts  (E) ’s idea that the real tragedy is political in nature. (That the passage never uses the word  “political”  is a pretty good clue that  (E)  is out of line.)

Answer: C

Explanation Credit: Kaplan LSAT

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

8. The primary purpose of the passage is to

Difficulty Level:   Medium

Explanation

Anyone pre-phrasing this answer should be looking for two things: the presence of the right scope (i.e. the controversy over who pulls the strings in Greek tragedy) and the absence of an imputation that the author is taking a stand.  (C)  fits the bill admirably in both respects.

(A)  can and should be quickly discarded because it imputes to the author’s purpose an argument for or against something, which couldn’t be further from this author’s mind.

(B)  To reduce this passage to a mere litany of “themes” is to miss the author’s principal interest in the viewpoints of various scholars on a particular issue under debate.

(D) , though not quite so much as  (A) , misrepresents the passage as an expression of qualitative analysis. The author reports the objective gist of each scholar’s ideas, not their  “relative merits.”

(E)  gets the broad topic wrong. Greek tragedy is not incidental to a broader discussion of human philosophy. Greek tragedy is the subject at hand.

Answer: C

Explanation Credit: Kaplan LSAT

deepshanker005 · Answer

Sajjad1994  please provide the explaination for Q4. I was confused between c and d. the third scholar has issues with both the above mentioned interpretations and so d could be the answer as well in my opinion.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. It can be inferred from the passage that the central difference between the interpretations of Lesky and Rivier is over which one of the following points?

Difficulty Level:   650

Explanation

Here’s a very Logical-Reasoning-like question: What’s the point at issue between Lesky and Rivier? This is very much a time for pre-phrasing. In Rivier’s reading of Greek tragedies, the superhuman forces of the gods set up the decision. The human character has no real choices, only  “choices”  (the quotes are our author’s,  line 32 ) whose final selection is determined by  “necessity” (lines 35-36) . Rivier, then, sees humans’ own desires as irrelevant if not nonexistent. But humans are more autonomous in the Lesky view of the plays—a hero like Agamemnon possesses  “desires that…are his own” (lines 52-53) . It is that issue of human choice that separates Rivier and Lesky, and that makes  (C)  correct.

(A)  hardly defines a difference between the two scholars. Certainly Rivier’s protagonists have great awareness, and Lesky’s reading of Agamemnon includes the ruler’s awareness of what Artemis wants. And in any case, (A) deals with the awareness of consequences, an issue not part of the passage at any point. So  (A)  is kind of a mess.

(B)  See the discussion of  (A) , above. A strong case can be made that both Rivier and Lesky grant awareness of the role of the gods to the Greek protagonists.

(D), (E)  Matters of morals and ethics have no more to do with this passage than do  “political”  in  Q. 1 (E)  or  “heroism”  in  Q. 3 (B).  There’s a brief side reference to characters’ actions  “that must be condemned by us,” lines 52-53 , but you have to work to turn that into a major concern with morals or ethics, and in any case it’s not opposed by a reference in  Paragraph 2 , which it must be to be correct here.

Answer: C

Explanation Credit: Kaplan LSAT

deepshanker005 · Answer

Thanks  Sajjad1994 , but i still have an issue with the wording of option c. The outcome of the drama has not been discussed for the plays mentioned. So dont u think that this option is a bit strongly worded too? or is it expected of us to presume this much?

Harsh9676 · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994

In Q5 , I got down to B and E.

Because of the time constraint, I picked E. But i still couldn't figure out why B is incorrect?

Please explain.

Thanks

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Prepare a short summary of views of Rivier and Lesky, Also know on what issue their views are opposing. Rivier thinks that the God determine everything, and leave the heroes with no choice on the other hand Lesky thinks that the heroes have a choice, but that it is repressed by the God. They both are opposed to Snell, who views the hero’s choice as being entirely individual.

Question asking about the main difference between the interpretations of Lesky and Rivier so option C is better than D, In fact the word  actions  in choice D is more deviating to what is written in the passage or what we can infer by the passage.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

In the  second paragraph  read the  lines 31-35  and  38-40 , According to these lines Rivier thought that the heroes have no choice: everything is determine by the God. Now compare the answer option B and E. Option B doesn’t tell us anything about If the tragic figure had a real choice or not but option E do so.

ShankSouljaBoi · Answer

A is not an assumption. It is a generic inference.

Ranasaymon · Answer

Sajjad1994  sir,
why is the correct answer not B?

But he also deeply  desires a victorious battle : “If this sacrifice will
loose the winds, it is permitted to desire it fervently,”

2. Which one of the following paraphrases most accurately restates the quotation from Agamemnon found in lines 48–49 of the passage?
(B) If the goddess has ordained that the only way I can get a wind to move my ships to battle is by performing this sacrifice, then it is perfectly appropriate for me to  deeply desire victory in battle .
(C) If the goddess has ordained that the only way I can get a wind to move my ships to battle is by performing this sacrifice, then it is perfectly appropriate for me to deeply desire this sacrifice.

GMATwithAK · Answer

Read through the entire passage once to understand the contrasting arguments presented.

1. Based on the information presented in the passage, which one of the following statements best represents Lesky’s view of Agamemnon?

(A) Agamemnon’s motivations are identical to those of the gods. –  This is clearly wrong as Lesky’s view is a middle ground between “motivations of the gods” vs “motivations of the protagonist” 
(B) The nature of Agamemnon’s character solely determines the course of the tragedy. –  This is incorrect for the same reason as option A 
(C) Agamemnon’s decision-making is influenced by his military ambitions. –  Correct choice. The passage states he “deeply desires a victorious battle” 
(D) Agamemnon is concerned only with pleasing the deity Artemis. –  Wrong for the same reason as option A 
(E) Agamemnon is especially tragic because of his political position. –  This option is irrelevant to the question

2. Which one of the following paraphrases most accurately restates the quotation from Agamemnon found in lines 48–49 of the passage?
 “If this sacrifice will loose the winds, it is permitted to desire it fervently,”
Translated into simple English, what this means is that by doing this sacrifice, if the wind were to pick up (and propel my ship towards battle), then its fine to desire the sacrifice fervently.

(A) If the goddess has ordained that the only way I can evade battle is by performing this sacrifice, then it is perfectly appropriate for me to deeply desire this sacrifice. –  Wrong. The sacrifice is not an end in itself. It is for ensuring the ships sail towards battle.  
(B) If the goddess has ordained that the only way I can get a wind to move my ships to battle is by performing this sacrifice, then it is perfectly appropriate for me to deeply desire victory in battle. –  Wrong. There is no logical flow in this statement.  
(C) If the goddess has ordained that the only way I can get a wind to move my ships to battle is by performing this sacrifice, then it is perfectly appropriate for me to deeply desire this sacrifice. - Correct option as it fits perfectly with the reasoning I’ve outlined above 
(D) As I alone have determined that only this sacrifice will give me victory in battle, I will perform it, without reservations. –  Wrong. The decision was influenced by the goddess and not a self determined one. 
(E) As I have determined that only deeply desiring victory in battle will guarantee the success of the sacrifice, I will perform it as ordained by the goddess. –  Wrong. The sacrifice is not an end in itself.

3. Which one of the following statements best expresses Rivier’s view, as presented in the passage, of what makes a drama tragic?

(A) The tragic protagonist is deluded by the gods into thinking he or she is free. –  Wrong. The question is not whether one is free but rather what the right choice for a given situation is. 
(B) The tragic protagonist struggles for a heroism that belongs to the gods. –  Wrong. Irrelevant to the passage. 
(C) The tragic protagonist wrongly seeks to take responsibility for his or her actions. –  Wrong. Irrelevant to the passage. 
(D) The tragic protagonist cannot make a decision that is free of divine compulsion. –  Correct choice. Rivier’s point of view is that the protagonist has no autonomy in deciding the option himself. Its pre-ordained by the gods and the protagonist merely recognizes that there’s one true option. 
(E) The tragic protagonist is punished for evading his or her responsibilities.  – Wrong. Irrelevant to the passage.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that the central difference between the interpretations of Lesky and Rivier is over which one of the following points?

(A) whether or not the tragic protagonist is aware of the consequences of his or her actions –  Wrong. The passage deals with the process of making the choice and not the consequences 
(B) whether or not the tragic protagonist acknowledges the role of the deities in his or her life –  Wrong. The passage makes it clear that the protagonists are aware of the role of deities in his or her lives 
(C) whether or not the tragic protagonist’s own desires have relevance to the outcome of the drama. –  Correct. The central debate in the passage is about whether the actions are motivated by the desires of the protagonist or the deities. 
(D) whether or not the actions of the deities are relevant to the moral evaluation of the character’s action - –  Wrong. The passage doesn’t analyse the morals of the actions. 
(E) whether or not the desires of the tragic protagonist are more ethical than those of the deities –  Wrong. The passage doesn’t analyse the ethics of the actions.

5. Which one of the following summaries of the plot of a Greek tragedy best illustrates the view attributed to Rivier in the passage?

(A) Although she knows that she will be punished for violating the law of her city, a tragic figure bravely decides to bury her dead brother over the objections of local authorities. –  Wrong. Rivier emphasizes the influence of deities in the decisions of the protagonist. This option has no deity mentioned.  
(B) Because of her love for her dead brother, a tragic figure, although aware that she will be punished for violating the law of her city, accedes to the gods’ request that she bury his body. –  Wrong. Rivier’s point focuses on the decision making process as more compelx than simply acceding to the gods request. The protagonist has not realize that there is no choice and that he or she has to realize that it is “a necessity imposed by the deities that generates the decision” 
(C) After much careful thought, a tragic figure decides to disobey the dictates of the gods and murder her unfaithful husband. –  Wrong. Rivier’s thesis is that the protagonist obeys the deities  
(D) A tragic figure, defying a curse placed on his family by the gods, leads his city into a battle that he realizes will prove futile. - Wrong. The protagonist obeys the deities. 
(E) After much careful thought, a tragic figure realizes that he has no alternative but to follow the course chosen by the gods and murder his father. –  Correct. Rivier’s thesis is that the protagonist “realizes” the choice imposed by the gods and obeys it.

6. The quotation in lines 21–23 suggests that Barbu assumes which one of the following about Aeschylean drama?

(A) Aeschylean drama helped to initiate a new understanding of the person in ancient Greek society. –  Wrong. This is a generic statement  
(B) Aeschylean drama introduced new ways of understanding the role of the individual in ancient Greek society. –  Wrong. It did not introduce any new methods or ways of understanding the role of individual in ancient Greek society 
(C) Aeschylean drama is the original source of the understanding of human motivation most familiar to the modern Western world. –  Wrong. The passage doesn’t touch upon modern or Western world at all 
(D) Aeschylean drama accurately reflects the way personal autonomy was perceived in ancient Greek society. –  Correct. The drama was used by Barbu to show how individuals were free agents in ancient Greek society. This is the argument used in the beginning of the passage as well. 
(E) Aeschylean drama embodies the notion of freedom most familiar to the modern Western world. –  Wrong. The passage doesn’t touch upon modern or Western world at all

7. All of the following statements describe Snell’s view of Aeschylus’ tragic protagonists, as it is presented in the passage, EXCEPT:

(A) They are required to choose a course of action with grave consequences. 
(B) Their final choices restore harmony with supernatural forces. –  Correct choice. All other statements are mentioned in the passage as Snell’s view. 
(C) They cannot rely on their customary notions of appropriate behavior.
(D) They are compelled to confront their true motives. 
(E) They are aware of the available choices.

8. The primary purpose of the passage is to

(A) argue against one particular interpretation of Greek tragedy –  Wrong. This argument is not specifically stated in the passage 
(B) establish that there are a variety of themes in Greek tragedy –  Wrong. The passage deals with only one theme 
(C) present aspects of an ongoing scholarly debate about Greek tragedy –  Correct. The passage merely presents the different arguments about Greek tragic dramas written during 5th century BC 
(D) point out the relative merits of different scholarly interpretations of Greek tragedy –  Wrong. The passage does not argue the merits of any interpretation 
(E) suggest the relevance of Greek tragedy to the philosophical debate over human motivation –  Wrong. The passage does not extrapolate any arguments to human motivation

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. Which one of the following paraphrases most accurately restates the quotation from Agamemnon found in lines 48–49 of the passage?

Difficulty Level:   600-650

Explanation

Let’s explore the context of the quotation from Agamemnon starting at  line 44.  The king learns of a necessary condition for wind—the sacrifice of his child. (There’s ordinarily a lot of wind in Greek tragedies, but not in this one.). That’s the  “divine necessity”  mentioned at  line 47.  Then it goes on to say that the king  “deeply desires a victorious battle,”  COLON: That colon indicates that the desire for the battle leads directly to what follows the colon which, as we know, is the quotation in question. What does all this amount to? The quotation must mean: If the gods decree that this sacrifice is a necessary condition for me, then I’m allowed  (“it is permitted”)  to want it. Note that this is absolutely in keeping with the overall Lesky motif, that a human will feel a want that was put there by divine intervention. This matches up rather neatly with correct  choice (C).

(A)  goes bad early on—Agamemnon doesn’t want to evade battle, and anyway the sacrifice would permit him to wage it—but it gets the latter part right.

(B)’s “if”  clause is exactly the same as that of correct  choice (C) . But in Agamemnon’s quotation the antecedent of the pronoun  “it”  is sacrifice, not battle. The quotation is Agamemnon’s soliloquy on the impending murder of his daughter. So  (B)  goes fatally wrong at the end (as does Agamemnon at the end of the play, and boy, do he and his descendants pay the price, cf. the Oresteia).

(D)  begins  “As I alone…”  Not only does that deviate from Agamemnon’s expressed awareness of the gods’ influence, but it counters Lesky’s idea about the role of the gods in human choice. And why would the author insert this quotation as an illustration of Lesky’s viewpoint, if as  (D)  suggests it reflects a Snellian view?

(E)  misrepresents the necessary condition in effect, and gets things backwards, to boot: It’s not that desiring victory guarantees the success of the sacrifice, but rather that the sacrifice is necessary for wind to conduct the battle.

Answer: C

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Tragic dramas written in Greece during the fifth century B.C. engender

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